Fira Barcelona's Commercial Director, Rubén Dalmau, and Vice President of Seafood at Diversified, Wynter Courmont, today at Barcelona.
Photo: David Campos / Seafood Expo Global-Seafood Processing Global.
In less than a month, from May 6 to 8, the 31st edition of Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global will open its doors. For the fourth consecutive year, it will be held in the city of Barcelona, which, during those days, will become the international epicenter for the global seafood industry with an estimated economic impact of more than EUR 156 million.
"Seafood Expo Global is already one of the leading international events on Fira's calendar," said Fira Barcelona's Commercial Director, Rubén Dalmau. "The show continues to grow as a global meeting point for the seafood industry and, at Fira, we work edition after edition to contribute to its success with a first-class venue and services and a privileged environment such as the one offered to its visitors by the city of Barcelona."
Dalmau, together with Wynter Courmont, Vice President of Seafood at Diversified, today presented this year's edition of Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global, which, so far, already occupies 51,024 m2 of net exhibition space, although the organization believes that, like last year, this figure will continue to increase until the date of the event.
Last year's was the largest edition of the event in its history. It boasted over 51,000 net square meters of exhibit space, more than 2,200 exhibiting companies from 87 countries, and, in the end, it had more than 35,000 seafood professionals from over 150 countries attending.
Although it is still too early to know the number of attendees this year, the organization said they are tracking very well in the registration patterns compared year over year to the 2024 edition.
For the moment, the world's largest and most diverse seafood trade event has already confirmed the presence of more than 2,041 exhibiting companies from 84 countries, and will feature 65 national and regional pavilions although, as said, the number continues to grow as the pavilions confirm the participation of companies.
Among the new countries and regions participating in this 31st edition are Albania, Egypt, Georgia, Greenland, Malta, Nigeria and Reunion Island, which will join other repeat participants such as Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, or Vietnam.
New national and regional pavilions for the 2025 edition include the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), the Japan Federation of Soy Sauce Manufacturers Cooperatives, Pro Ecuador, the Sri Lanka Export Development Board, and the Valencian Institute of Business Competitiveness (IVACE) from Spain.
The organization emphasized that Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global is the perfect international platform for seafood suppliers and buyers from around the world to meet in person, strengthen existing business relationships and establish new strategic alliances.
"The Expo continues to gain momentum, demonstrating the importance of having a face-to-face event on a global level and the value it brings to the seafood industry as a space to expand business partnerships, explore opportunities, and address challenges," Wynter Courmont stated.
"This year's edition, along with a strong and growing international participation of exhibiting companies, will promote industry growth by providing key insights and strategies for companies, both during the conference program and through knowledge sharing and networking opportunities at the show," said Seafood's vice president at Diversified.
The fair, which this year has delayed its dates from the last week of April to the first week of May, will be held within the 90-day moratorium that the Trump Administration decreed yesterday for its "reciprocal tariffs" just a few hours after they entered into force, so it will offer stakeholders from around the world the opportunity to exchange views on the subject.
"Platforms like Seafood Expo Global, really give an opportunity to bring the global stakeholders together to be able to discuss these sorts of challenges facing and to be able to come to solutions," Courmont responded to a question on the subject from one of the journalists present at the Barcelona press conference today.
"It will also be featured in the conference program, our keynote speaker will certainly be discussing the tariffs and economic challenges as well," she continued.
As every year, this 31st edition of Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global will include an extensive three-day conference program featuring more than 20 educational sessions by more than 80 experts within the seafood industry, who will participate in presentations and panel discussions.
In addition to the usual and important topics for the sector, such as sustainability, traceability, trends in aquaculture, consumer trends, as well as trends in hospitality and sustainable packaging, this year, the topic of tariffs will be added. It will be, indeed, the keynote address of the program.
As commented by Wynter Courmont, the opening conference will be by Xavier Sala-i-Martín, Economist and Columbia University professor. His talk - entitled 'A New Uncertain World' - will address how to navigate the new economic uncertainties affecting the global seafood sector and the world at large, from international relations to tariffs, among other issues.
Likewise, the Expo will also see the return of the Seafood Excellence Global Awards, a program where exhibiting companies submit their best, most innovative seafood products to be considered, and whose finalists will be announced in the coming weeks, although we will have to wait until Barcelona to know the winners. They will be announced on the first day of the Expo, Tuesday, May 6, at a reception open to all exhibitors and visitors.
All this, conferences and awards, will run parallel to the exhibition which, as every year, will bring together at Seafood Expo Global the world's leading suppliers of seafood products, whether fresh, frozen, canned, preserved, value-added, processed or packaged, while Seafood Processing Global will present all aspects of seafood processing, including equipment, refrigeration and freezing, packaging materials and machinery, aquaculture supplies, hygiene control, sanitation, quality services, transportation and logistics.
